As is well appreciated in the business world, the commercialization of a product in the marketplace is dependent on two inseparable, but fundamentally different, factors. One factor concerns the product itself; i.e. is the product suitable for its intended purpose, and is it appealing to consumers. The other factor concerns whether the product can be profitably manufactured.
In the case of the present invention, the product of interest is an edible food container. In particular, this product is a bread cone as disclosed and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,626,897 which issued to Goldstein on May 6, 1997, for an invention entitled Conical Food Article and Process for Making Same, which will be assigned to the same assignee as the present invention. The concern of the present invention, however, pertains to an automated process for the mass production of such a food product which will make the food product commercially viable.
Matters for concern in the mass production process for any product include quality control and manufacturing reliability, which are often collectively considered under the rubric of manufacturability. For a bread product such as is being considered here, an important manufacturing concern involves the handling of bread dough, as it is being formed into a desired shape prior to baking. Of particular concern in this process are the mechanical components of the system used for manufacture, and the interaction of these system components with uncooked bread dough during the manufacturing process.
With the above in mind, it is an object of the present invention to provide a system and method for reliably, repetitively, and continuously manufacturing a cone-shaped food product holder. Another object of the present invention is to provide a system and method for increasing the speed and productivity of manufacturing a cone-shaped food product holder. Still another object of the present invention is to provide a system and method for manufacturing a cone-shaped food product holder that is simple to implement, is easy to use, and is cost effective.